The site of a former mining pit stands vacant on Trumble Road. (Staff photo)
The Menifee City Council on Wednesday denied an appeal of the previous approval of the Trumble and Watson warehouse, thus allowing the project to move forward.
The Planning Commission voted 4-1 on May 13 to approve the project, which proposes a 328,227-square-foot warehouse building, including 15,000 square feet of office space, on a 17-acre vacant site on Trumble Road just south of Watson Road. Following that approval, three appeals against the project were submitted.
One of the appeals, filed by the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER), was withdrawn prior to Wednesday’s hearing. There were no representatives of a second appellant, the Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance (GSEJA), to testify against the project. The only appellant present in the room was Mayor Ricky Estrada, who was allowed to sit on the dais and preside over his own protest.
The only comments Estrada made on his notice of appeal to the City was, “I believe this project has significant policy and environmental consequences for the city, and therefore merits evaluation by the City Council.” He did not list any of those possible consequences.
City planner Ryan Fowler reported that in the 1960s, 40,000 cubic yards of soil were dug out of that vacant site to be used in construction of the adjacent Highway 395 (now the 215 Freeway). In the 1990s, a permit was issued by the County for a surface mining permit. In 2017, the pit was filled back up. In 2022, developer Lovett Industrial applied for a permit to build on the site, which is within the city’s Northern Economic Development Corridor.
A representative of developer Lovett Industrial described project plans including extensive landscaping that he believed would enhance the area, which is surrounded by other industrial sites. The area is not well-traveled because it leads to a dead-end at Watson Road, just south of Highway 74 and more industry.
“In 2021 when we asked the City if there was any industrial property that needed to be improved, we were directed to this site,” he said. “As part of the project, we will also improve Watson Road for better fire department access.”
Only two people spoke during the public comments section of the public hearing. One was a representative of the local carpenters union in favor of the project. The other was a woman speaking in opposition. Remote public comments were allowed by phone for the first time, but there were no remote comments regarding the project.
The site, clearly industrial in nature, is surrounded by a grease processing facility, a lumber yard, a hardware industrial building, a concrete mixing plant, and a soil retention plant. According to the staff report, the only residential properties in the area are “four existing non-conforming residential uses/properties directly adjacent to the south of the project site.”
“Right now, it’s an open lot,” the applicant said. “This is something that will be brand new. It will improve the area.”
Most of the council members described the project as the “perfect placement” for a warehouse in an area that Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin said city officials consider to be a “blight.”
“I don’t think you’re going to get a Whole Foods to sit in the middle of that stuff; I don’t think you’re going to get a Barnes and Noble to come there,” Karwin said. “I’ve never seen a site better suited for a warehouse. It’s well known this has long been a heavily industrial area.
“To be honest, mayor, I’m surprised you’re sitting behind the dais for this. During your campaign you posted a graphic, comparing yourself to Lesa Sobek. One of the items was ‘Approves Warehouses? – Lesa Sobek yes, Ricky Estrada no.’ So for you to file this appeal and say you’re totally neutral, you just want to hear about it, seems a little bit disinegnous. I can’t imagine there’s anything this applicant could say to you to make you say, ‘You know what? I’ve said no to all warehouses, but this one, I agree with.’
“Your appeal seems like a vote of no confidence for the Planning Commission. Whether you’re pro-warehouse or anti-warehouse … Warehouses are necessary somewhere. I couldn’t design a better open space for a warehouse than this one.”
Estrada responded, “Mayor Pro Tem Karwin, I wish you had more of an open mind. We’re here at a public hearing, we’re hearing public testimony, and I came here with an open mind.”
After saying that “I like this has progressed this far,” Estrada said he had concerns about the staff report’s description of the project as a “speculative warehouse” – meaning it would be constructed without a pre-committed tenant or designated commodity.
The other council members responded by pointing out that virtually all warehouses are speculative warehouses when designed. Very few are built with a specific tenant committed – although the applicant said he has already had interest from several potential tenants, including a Fortune 100 company.
“You could say that when they talked at the new Stater Bros. site about other tenants going there, that’s speculative,” Dean Deines said. “They don’t know what else is going to go there. Your argument is a Hail Mary to not get this thing passed. There is not a reason to deny this.”
“It’s like building a house when you don’t know who’s going to live there,” Karwin said. “You don’t know whether the person will move in next to a barking dog or someone who will water your flowers. It’s all speculative.”
In the vote that followed, Estrada cast the only “no” vote. For the record, he has voted no on every warehouse approval request, regardless of the circumstances.
